Alex Smart
It’s almost that time of year again, as March Madness is upon us.
With its arrival come memories of some of the most breathtaking college basketball found anywhere in the world today—games that will have you biting your nails, screaming unmentionable insults at the TV screen, and arm-raising fanaticism that often leaves many non-basketball fans wondering what underlying physiological problems you may have.
Included in this Mardi Gras-like festival are big school bands, beautiful cheerleaders, and crowds that make many believe the building is about to collapse. Included in this purgatory-like atmosphere are all-night parties that leave you dazed and exhausted.
These are just a few of the great tension-filled days called March Madness, a tournament that started with eight college basketball teams back in 1939. Now in the year 2009, 65 of America's best college basketball teams collide in one giant hardwood explosion.
Unfortunately, during this incredible sporting spectacle the regular betting man will start to be taken in by the emotional whirlwind that surrounds him. Throwing his money around like a Friday night pub crawl dart player. Leaving him susceptible to uncontrolled, emotionally motivated betting regimens that would make any professional bettor twist and turn in torment.
It is during this time that most basketball betting pundits are most vulnerable, and believe me, the oddsmakers are fully aware of this.
So when preparing to wager on a March Madness game, be well aware of what the true odds should be. Take into consideration all statistical and motivational data needed to intelligently decipher a game situation. That is not always as straightforward as the lines makers and analysts would lead you to believe.
Most TV sports commentators will put a spin on these NCAA hoops games that would make Harlem's own Meadowlark Lemon proud, leaving you so dizzied by the influx of unrelated statistical data that you don’t even know if the No. 1 team in the nation even has a crack at winning a single game, let alone a spot in the Final Four.
It’s at this exact point in time when we should all remember to stand back and take a second to get out of the March Madness tornado and shake the emotional cobwebs out of our heads.
Remember the chant DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE. Take a defensive posture during this March Madness, and keep your emotions in check. This should help keep you from losing a pocketful of dough and help you garner some profits that make that big party hangover easier to handle.
Many gamblers and most fans, players, and coaches, offer causal explanations for long runs of good or bad sports performances. Financial analysts are quick to offer explanations for the up and down performance of the stock market and the investment they have bought into and have recommended to clients.
The records of professional bettors and public handicappers and stock market day traders and investment gurus show the same variable successes and failures. As does the performance of the teams and stocks they both back, for financial gain! Both investment opportunities show significant variables, and both to some extent can be considered decipherable, thus giving the investor an advantage!
If proper research and time is taken to consider all the pertinent facts of investing in particular stock or wagering position, than a long term profit is more than attainable over an extended or applicable period of time!
It may seem like I'm making comparisons between apples and oranges when talking about sports betting and investing in the stock market! But the truth of the matter is, both situations need the man behind the bet to have made an in depth study, of all of the key statistical data, company employees or team/player personal and their management and ownership and their past performances! Both must usually either show the ability for upward momentum, or show the ability as a whole to fulfill your belief in them as solid proposition at the price being asked!
However, betting on sports is a far safer vehicle for growing profits. It's even better than the stock market, because the investor/bettor has much more control over his funds. You can take a short break, and almost always know your bankroll has not been untouched. Conversely, in the markets, you are leaving your 401K and other mutual investments in the hands of a volatile marketplace. In addition, you are being torched for huge handling fees by brokers on individual investments that would make sports books mangers drool.
I am not saying it is easy making a living from sports betting. However the two to three percent of the population that do consistently beat the books have a much better rate of return over the long haul than that of any market investor!
This is the outlook I have on every wager I place in the sports wagering markets. I take my portfolio very seriously!
